A major employer in Pueblo is looking to hire dozens of people. It's a much different story for Vestas, a company that had one layoff after another last year.

The company announced Wednesday it plans to hire more than 100 full-time employees by the end of March. Vestas is looking for assemblers, painters, welders, forklift truck drivers and mechanical handlers. Over the next two years, these employees will be building wind towers for several companies.

This news comes less than two weeks after Vestas cut back hours for employees in Pueblo, who are now working just 24 hours a week. But the company says those employees will go back to being full-time before any employees are hired. And Vestas says it hopes some of those new employees include people who the company had to lay off last year.

"It's our objective to bring back as many skilled positions as we can, but by bringing those positions back, they will have to reapply and come back and go through an interview process to come back into Vestas," said Tony Knopp, vice president of Vestas Towers America.

Congress extended a wind tax credit at the beginning of this year. Knopp says that's a major reason why the company is able to hire people now.

Vestas is holding two job fairs this week. There's one in Pueblo Friday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pueblo Community College, and one on Saturday, Jan. 19, in Colorado Springs from 8 a.m. to noon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Candidates are asked to bring their resumes.

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